AUSTIN – Track officials with Circuit of The Americas have announced that the world-class sports and entertainment venue has made the final four list of North American host sites and is still in contention to hold the prestigious summer version of the ESPN X Games for a three-year period beginning in 2014.

During the past three months, representatives of the X Games have made site visits to all of the venues who completed the intensive application process. Austin, along with Detroit, Chicago and Charlotte, N.C. are among the four cities under consideration for the final round.

“This is fantastic news for Austin and Circuit of The Americas,” said Paul Thornton, leader of the effort on behalf of Austin extreme sports fans and the Circuit. “ESPN’s X Games are hugely popular, large-scale sports and entertainment events that have become an important part of the annual major events calendar. Bringing the X Games to Austin would mean a significant economic impact for our community, bringing fans, competitors and media representatives from around the world to our hometown while once again putting Austin in the international spotlight.”

Part of Austin’s proposal to host the X Games includes utilizing the 1500-acre Circuit of The Americas facility, which is located in southeast Austin near Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, as the primary site for the competition.

Officials said that Circuit of The Americas is capable of hosting tens of thousands of fans. The facility has entertainment amenities such as the Austin360 Amphitheater and park-like Grand Plaza, along with plenty of space to stage the variety of competitions that the X Games feature.

“We are thrilled that Austin is on the short list,” said Matthew Payne, executive director of the Austin Sports Commission. “We feel that the world-class venue at Circuit of The Americas is the perfect location for the ESPN X Games. If we are selected, the exposure for the city of Austin would be great on all fronts.”

COTA officials said that ESPN will visit all four sites again. The Austin visit is scheduled during the week of June 3-7 and ESPN will announce their new host city for the summer version of the X Games later this summer.

“The X Games have grown significantly and has been enjoyed by millions of fans over the past 10 years in Los Angeles,” said Scott Guglielmino, senior vice president, programming and X Games. “Our partners AEG and the city of Los Angeles have been instrumental in our success. As we embark on a year of significant global expansion and transformation for X Games in 2013, we are excited about the potential each of these cities bring, and look forward to identifying our next host city for the X Games.”

COTA officials said that fans can help the Circuit land the ESPN X Games by visiting the dedicated Facebook fan site, www.facebook.com/xgamesaustin, clicking “Like” and sharing messages of support that will be read by ESPN officials and X Games fans worldwide. There is also a dedicated Twitter account, www.twitter.com/xgamesaustin, for supporters that want to keep tabs on progress and participate in the discussion.